Newsroom

Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation Reaches Milestone in Giving

Contributions benefit M. D. Anderson's brain tumor research

M. D. Anderson News Release 09/17/09

Inspired by her passion to help others and her courageous fight with a rare disease, family and friends of Marnie Rose, M.D., have donated more than $1 million to brain cancer research at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

"The Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation is named after my daughter who died from a malignant brain tumor at age 28," said Lanie Rose, mother of Marnie. "She was beautiful, bright and as a pediatric medical resident, she devoted her life to caring for children. Through the foundation, we honor her legacy by helping both children and brain cancer patients in need."

Since 2003 the foundation has supported research and new drug development for brain cancer. The Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation surpassed the million dollar landmark in giving with its latest contribution of $317,000 from the Run for the Rose, an annual 5K fun run and walk, and Ridin' for the Rose, an annual motorcycle rally. Each year donations from these events are divided between M. D. Anderson and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

"It has been an honor to contribute more than $1 million to brain tumor research at M. D. Anderson," said Lanie. "This is just our first million and we'll never stop until there is a cure. We're grateful for the support we've received from the loved ones of brain cancer patients and all of our donors and participants through the years. This would not be possible without their dedication."

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 22,000 individuals will be diagnosed and nearly 13,000 will die from brain cancer in 2009.

"Because brain cancer is relatively uncommon, it does not receive the same amount of funding as other well-known cancers," said Raymond Sawaya, M.D., professor and chair of the Departments of Neurosurgery at both M. D. Anderson and Baylor College of Medicine.

"Over the last 10 to15 years donors like the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation have changed research funding for this cancer. The foundation and Rose family have been instrumental in M. D. Anderson's role in developing novel therapies for brain cancer."

All funds raised by the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation for M. D. Anderson go directly to ground-breaking treatments. With guidance from Sawaya and Alfred Yung, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neuro-Oncology at M. D. Anderson, the foundation has funded five research projects over the last seven years. Two of those therapies funded, PEP-3-KLH, a therapy that trains the immune system to attack brain tumor cells, and Delta-24-RGD, a modified adenovirus that targets the pathway of a specific protein, have shown promising results in the lab and are now in clinical trials.

"Since 2003, we've been able to sponsor brain cancer patients and fund clinical trials for immunotherapy and other research," Lanie said. "During M. D. Anderson's annual patient conference for brain tumor patients, a young man thanked our foundation for our help in his care. Because of the research our foundation supports, he joined a clinical trial that provided innovative treatment."

Marnie was diagnosed with brain cancer during her first year of medical residency in 2001. Although she died in August 2002, the work of her mother and others involved with the Rose Foundation ensures that her legacy lives on.

"My daughter received state-of-the-art, compassionate care at M. D. Anderson that she could not have received anywhere else," Lanie said. "The Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation was formed from our desire to honor my daughter's memory and help the next patient survive brain cancer. Marnie never gave up her will to survive, so we will not surrender our hope for a cure." 09/17/09